“People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came. . . .”
The Busy Days Before Christmas
This week is often filled with organized chaos—last minute Christmas gift purchases, meal preparation, travel, and more. And for church leaders, there’s the additional flurry of last-minute details for the coming holiday worship services and year-end communications. While some people find thrill in waiting until the last possible moment to finish their Christmas shopping, others feel overwhelmed by busyness and trying to “fit it all in.”
Jesus warns us that people will be busy on the day of his coming. People will be busy in the way they were in the days of Noah and Lot. When Jesus says this, he does not say that people in those days were busy being wicked. Jesus says that people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building. They were going about their daily lives and were busy doing everyday sorts of things.
We often keep ourselves busy in similar ways even when we know a special deadline is approaching. We know that Christmas is coming, but we still leave some of our preparations to the last minute because we are “so busy.”
In these last few days before Christmas, may we set aside our busyness and simply enjoy the gifts God has given us. May we be ready to rest in God’s goodness as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Pray
Gracious God, the day is almost upon us. Forgive us for leaving some things undone. Help us to rest in your grace and to receive the joy of your salvation revealed in Jesus. Amen.
This devotional is adapted from a December 2015 Today devotional written by Rev. Norman Visser. Today is a daily devotional that helps God's people refresh, refocus, and renew their faith through Bible reading, reflection, and prayer. Church Juice and Today are part of the family of programs from ReFrame Ministries.
